Leading Off
The Omaha baseball team closes its nine-game homestand this weekend, welcoming North Dakota State for three Summit League contests, March 20-22. First pitch all three days is set for 1 p.m. at the Ballpark at Boys Town. Links to live stats and audio will be available on OMavs.com, and student broadcasters Ryan Matheny, Adam Priester and Matt James will have the call on the MavRadio.fm broadcasts. Fans may also access the audio on their smartphones by downloading the TuneIn Radio app.
    
Quick Hits
•Senior right-hander Zach Williamsen leads the Summit League with a 1.86 ERA, and he and junior right-hander Tyler Fox are tied for the league lead for wins (two). As a staff, Omaha's 3.83 team ERA is second in the conference.
•Freshman Cole Patterson hit his first career homer on Sunday against South Dakota State with a three-run shot in the fifth inning.
•Sophomore right-hander Shane Meltz earned his first win as a Maverick on Sunday with 2.1 innings of relief.
•Junior Cole Gruber made a splash in his return to the lineup last weekend, hitting in the No. 2 spot for the first time this year. He finished .727 (8-for-11) over all three games, as compared to .300 (12-for-40) from the leadoff position.
•Head coach Bob Herold sits just 12 wins away from earning his 500th career victory in 16 seasons of directing the Omaha program.
•The Mavericks return 19 letterwinners and five All-Summit selections from a year ago: Gruber, senior Daniel Jewett and juniors Clayton Taylor, Tyler Fox and Alex Schultz. Fox was also tabbed 2014 Summit League Pitcher of the Year.
•UNO's five returning all-conference selections are the most of any team in the Summit League.
•UNO ended the 2014 season on a seven-game win streak, and in two years in the Summit League, the Mavericks have compiled a 35-15 record in conference play.
•UNO is 114-91 all-time against the five other teams in the Summit League and 232-231 against all opponents on the schedule this year.

Scouting the North Dakota State Bison
North Dakota State, the defending Summit League tournament champion, has a record of 5-11 (1-2 Summit League) after dropping two of three games at Oral Roberts in the opening weekend of conference play. The Bison were shut out 6-0 before defeating ORU 4-3 in a Saturday doubleheader, then closed with a 4-3 loss on Sunday. Right-hander Jay Flaa is tied with Maverick Zach Williamsen for the league lead in ERA (1.86) and also owns a conference-best 32 strikeouts this season. Taylor Sanders also ranks third in the league in batting average (.375).

Tod Brown (Arizona, 1994) is in his eighth season at NDSU with a career record of 171-204. North Dakota State leads the all-time series against Omaha, 29-25. The two teams last faced each other in a non-conference matchup at the GCU Classic in Phoenix Ariz., on Feb. 15, when Omaha won 5-4.

Last Time Out: Omaha Sweeps South Dakota State
Omaha hosted North Dakota for a three non-conference games last weekend, taking the series 2-1. Junior Cole Gruber, back from five games out due to injury, returned to the lineup with a vengeance by hitting .727 (8-for-11) over three games. He scored four times and drove in another run while walking once, being hit by a pitch and going 5-for-6 in stolen base attempts.

On Friday, the Mavericks pushed past a 3-3 tie to rally for the 6-4 triumph. Junior right-hander Marcus Ethen (1-0) recorded the win in relief, throwing 1.2 innings while allowing one run on two hits and two walks with a strikeout. Senior left-hander Cole Volkers earned his second save of the season, tossing the final 2.1 innings with no runs on no hits and a walk. Gruber paced Omaha at the plate, finishing 3-for-4 with a run scored.

On Saturday, with the game stuck in a 6-6 tie, junior Alex Schultz's two-out, bases-loaded grounder to third resulted in an SDSU fielding error that allowed Omaha to score for the 7-6 win. Schultz finished the day 2-for-5 at the plate with a run scored. Junior right-hander Gregg Gausden (2-2) earned the win in relief, throwing 1.0 innings while allowing two runs on four hits. Senior right-hander Zach Williamsen had a quality start, tossing 6.0 shutout innings while keeping SDSU to six singles with two walks and three strikeouts.

On Sunday, the Mavericks exploded for a season-high 19 hits as a team en route to the 14-7 win. Gruber led Omaha at the dish, finishing 4-for-5 with three runs scored. Junior Clayton Taylor was also 3-for-4 with three runs scored and four more driven in, while senior Justin Threlkeld finished 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBI.

Gruber Named Summit League Player of the Week
Junior Cole Gruber was named Summit League Baseball Player of the Week for his performances March 9-15, the conference office announced Monday. Gruber collected his first career weekly league honor after recording eight hits in Omaha's three-game sweep of South Dakota State last weekend. In the series finale, the outfielder from Papillion-LaVista went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and a pair of stolen bases. He had three hits in game one of the series with two more steals and was 1-for-2 in game two with a walk and two sacrifices.

For the week, Gruber batted .727 (8-for-11) with five stolen bases, four runs scored and an RBI. He registered a .714 on-base percentage and .727 slugging percentage in the three-game series.

Senior right-handed pitchers Zach Williamsen (Feb. 23) and Tyler Hamer (March 2) also previously earned weekly league honors, with each being named Summit League Pitcher of the Week.

What Does the Fox Say?
Right-handed pitcher Tyler Fox is back for his junior season in 2015 after earning Summit League Pitcher of the Year plaudits as a sophomore. The Thornton, Colo., native was outstanding on the mound last year, recording a league-leading nine wins to go 9-1 with a 2.59 ERA. He tallied 57 strikeouts in a team-high 78.2 innings pitched and finished a perfect 5-0 in league play with a 2.40 ERA in seven appearances. Conference foes struggled at the plate against Fox, batting just .255 for the year.

On Feb. 20, Fox picked up his first win of the season against Chicago State, limiting the Cougars to just three singles over 5.0 scoreless innings. His second win, secured on March 7 against North Dakota, moved him up to ninth in school history for career wins (17).

Hamer the Hammer
Senior right-handed pitcher Tyler Hamer has issued the most strikeouts of any pitcher on the Maverick staff this season with 17 Ks. Over five appearances, the Elburn, Ill., native has gone 1-0 with a 2.36 ERA, and opponents are hitting just .185 against him.

On Feb. 21, Hamer was part of UNO's no-hit shutout of Chicago State, going 3.0 innings with a walk and four Ks. He earned his first win of the year with a complete-game victory over Boston College on Feb. 28, allowing one run on five hits in 9.0 innings with four strikeouts.

Production Up Top
Omaha's 1-4 batters in the lineup this year have produced a significant portion of the Mavericks' offense through 18 games. The 1-4 hitters have accounted for 51 percent of UNO's hits, including 56 percent of its extra-base hits, as well as 64 percent of all runs scored and 54 percent of all walks drawn.

Going the Extra Mile
When registering three or more extra-base hits in a game, UNO went 14-7 last season, and the Mavericks have started the 2015 in similar fashion with a 4-1 mark. The 2014 Omaha squad finished with 107 extra-base hits, the most  of any team since registering 159 in 2011, the Mavericks' last year in Division II.

Turning to the Bullpen
Omaha's bullpen has traditionally held its own late in the game, as the Mavericks are 417-34-1 in the Bob Herold era when leading after the sixth inning. UNO was 25-4 in such games in 2014 and 23-1 in the 2013 season, both of which were years in which the Mavericks went on to win Summit League regular-season titles. This season, they are 8-0 when leading after the sixth.

Offense Keying Wins
In the last three seasons in 2013, 2014 and 2015, Omaha has gone a combined 47-7 when outhitting its opponent. In 2014, the Mavericks were 21-2 when registering more hits than its opposition, up from 20-5 in 2013. This year, UNO has started out 7-1 in such games.

Over 16 seasons in the Bob Herold era, UNO is 399-69-1 when outhitting the other team.

Double Digits
As a team, Omaha produced double-digit hits in 22 games last season, including a season-high 23 hits against Chicago State on Feb. 28, 2014. Last year, UNO was 18-4 when producing 10 or more hits in a game, similar to its mark of 18-6 for double-digit hits in 2013.

Already this season, the Mavericks are 5-1 with a double-digit hit total, having keyed a season-best 19 hits most recently on Sunday against South Dakota State.

Home Sweet Home
The 2015 season will see Omaha play 23 home contests, including 15 conference tilts. UNO will play at three venues, with 18 games at the Ballpark at Boys Town, three this weekend that were moved to Millard North High School and a pair of premier games at Werner Park with Nebraska (April 1) and Kansas State (April 8).

Since moving to Division I in 2011-12, UNO has enjoyed a combined record of 30-20 at home.

Going Up on a Tuesday
Omaha is undefeated on only one day of the week this season, as the Mavericks are 1-0 when playing on a Tuesday. That lone win was a 6-4 decision at Wichita State, where UNO broke through a 4-4 tie in the top of the ninth.

Fresh Faces
A total of 13 newcomers -- freshmen, redshirt freshmen or transfers -- have made their career debuts so far this year: freshmen Cole Patterson, Jack Wilson, Jake Cockle, Riley Sweeney, Cole Johnston, Adam Caniglia and Corey Binger, redshirt freshmen Ryan Cate, Tim Schaareman and Isaac Holt, sophomores Pete Macke and Shane Meltz and senior Andrew Buehler.
    
Herold at the Helm
Head Coach Bob Herold is in his 16th year as the skipper of the Omaha baseball program in 2014, having compiled a career record of 488-330-2. Herold earned his 400th career win on April 22, 2011 against Fort Hays State, becoming the third coach in school history to reach the milestone. He joined Bob Gates (464-273) and Virgil Yelkin (439-196) in the prestigious club, and with Omaha's 7-0 shutout at Bradley on April 22, 2014, he officially became the winningest coach in UNO history with his 465th victory.

Over his Maverick career, Herold has guided Omaha to seven NCAA Division II postseason appearances and four conference championships. In 2013 and 2014, he was honored as Summit League Coach of the Year.

Herold's most recent draft pick was right-handed pitcher Joe Holtmeyer, who was taken in the 22nd round (No. 682 overall) of the 2011 Major League Baseball amateur draft by the Boston Red Sox. Holtmeyer was the fifth Maverick drafted under Herold and the second-highest pick of any player during the Herold era.

Herold is assisted by assistant coaches Chris Gadsden, in his 16th year, and Evan Porter, in his third year, as well as volunteer assistant coach Brian Strawn, who is in his first year.

Next Up
Omaha returns to action on Wednesday, March 25, traveling to Kansas State for a non-conference matchup. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. in Manhattan, Kan., and links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.